In the past, a freestanding accessory having a high center of gravity, when transported in conjunction with a transporting vehicle while necessarily connected by an umbilical hose or cable between the two, had a tendency to topple due to topheaviness while traversing floor discontinuities. Transport while umbilically conjoined, for example, occurs when a hospital patient, upon a wheeled gurney or in a wheelchair, is transported during continuous parenteral intravenous fluid infusion, connection to a freeestanding life support or bodily function monitoring apparatus or similar condition, wherein even momentary disconnection of the umbilical hose or cable might be health-threatening. Because the patient may be moved between a bed, transporting vehicle, surgical table and the like, the umbilically-connected accessory is usually freestanding. Intravenous dispensing bottles hung upon a pole for gravity dispensing tend to make the freestanding pole topheavy; stand-mounted heart monitors, breathing assistance apparatus and the like, are mounted relatively high upon their freestanding supports, for ready operator access and, like the intravenous dispensers, tend to be topheavy. Analogous non-medical examples include the umbilically-connected transport of two or more freestanding components of communication, audio-visual, video, printing, photocopying, computing, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, mechanical or pneumatic apparatus in home, office and industrial settings. Where motive power for such conjoined transport across an irregular floor surface is provided by a single person, it is especially difficult to prevent topheavy freestanding accessories from toppling.
A need existed for a transport support for a freestanding umbilical accessory which would communicate stabilizing force from a transporting vehicle having low center of gravity to an umbilically connected freestanding accessory having a high center of gravity, which transport support would be conveniently and releasably coupled between transporting vehicle and freestanding accessory, and which would accommodate a wide variety of shapes and sizes of coupling surfaces.
A further need existed for a transport support for a freestanding umbilical accessory which would, depending upon circumstances of transport, provide one or more independent directions of force communication fixing distance, angular displacement and vertical displacement between a freestanding umbilical accessory and a transporting vehicle.
A further need existed for a transport support for a freestanding umbilical accessory which would permit vertical displacement between a freestanding umbilical accessory and a transporting vehicle when traversing floor discontinuities, while simultaneously communicating the stabilizing force-resisting tendency of the freestanding accessory to topple.
It is an object of this invention to provide a transport support for a freestanding umbilical accessory.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a transport support for a freestanding umbilical accessory which communicates stabilizing force from a transporting vehicle having a low center of gravity to an umbilically-connected freestanding accessory having a high center of gravity.
Another object of this invention is to provide a transport support which may be conveniently and releasably coupled between transporting vehicle and freestanding accessory.
A further object of this invention is that a wide variety of sizes and shapes of coupling surfaces be accommodated.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide, depending upon circumstances of transport, one or more independent directions of stabilizing force communication fixing distance, angular displacement and vertical displacement between a freestanding umbilical accessory and a transporting vehicle.
Still another object of this invention is to permit vertical displacement between a freestanding umbilical accessory and a transporting vehicle when traversing floor discontinuities, while providing simultaneous communication the stabilizing force-resisting tendency of the freestanding accessory to topple.